Zoya’s P.O.V
I found that the clinic was in a relatively decent condition with modern equipment and standardized facilities, even though there weren’t a lot of them. What’s good to note, though, was that there was at least an x-ray machine in the absence of an MRI or CT scan, but that much I had already expected from a small clinic in the middle of nowhere.
I could not help but compare the tiny clinic to the New York hospital that I was supposed to work in, had things gone my way like I thought they would. I did not like to compare two vastly different things, but I really could not help it since this place was a far cry from the hustle and bustle of my previous workplace.
I was used to having patients at every corner of the hospital, lines of people to attend to at every twist and turn. Medical services had always been in demand, especially for large cities like New York with a packed population. I was used to that, but the silence and stillness of the tiny clinic also felt like a refreshing start.
The morning eventually gave way to noon and by the time it was the middle of the afternoon, the only patient I’ve had so far was an old woman with knee problems. As the sun kept on with its daily descent and the sky finally bled orange, I thought that the old woman was going to be my only patient for today. I did not dread the next day of little to no work, but I had to admit that I internally groaned at the thought of having a full day with nothing to do again.
I yawned for the nth time. I was getting sleepy because of how vacant and uneventful the work day was. Cam did not even blame me when I kept walking around, looking for something to do.
“It’s always like this,” she would tell me sympathetically. “You must be used to a very busy atmosphere. But in here, major accidents only happen once in a blue moon. The most action I had was when a child fell off a tree while playing hide and seek.”
“You’d think that I would be grateful for the lack of things to do,” I joked, and she cracked a smile, “but because I was so used to the busy environment of my workplace, I end up being as restless as the way I am now when I have no patients to attend to.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation,” Cam said, “at least you won’t be overworked here.”
“And at least I won’t have fake friends here who would be too quick to stab me in the back once given the chance,” I wanted to say, “no fake people who pretended to be my allies only because it was convenient for them.” But I decided against saying it, because as comfortable as I felt around Cam, I did not want to burden her with my life troubles. Plus, we hardly knew each other.
I was about to yawn again, but then the glass door of the clinic opened, and in came a man screaming and crying. I jolted from my seat and quickly went over to him, all alert and now fully conscious of my surroundings, my earlier drowsiness giving way to wariness. I did a quick scan of his appearance with my eyes and noticed the state of his body.
“Sir, is everything alright?” I asked him, trying to lead him to one of the beds so I could get a better look at him. He seemed to have gotten into some kind of accident as he appeared to be injured and dirty, though his wounds did not seem severe. Granted, I was only going by surface-level observations and had yet to inspect him more thoroughly.
“No!” he protested, wrestling his arm from my grip. His voice was hoarse like he had been shouting; he probably had been, given the state he was in right now. There were tears in his eyes, and his cheeks were stained with them, along with specks of blood and grime. “I’m fine! Please, it’s my brother you must help!” His hand tugged at my arm, trying to steer me away from the beds and toward the doors of the clinic.
Cam was also by my side as soon as she noticed what I was dealing with. It was nice to know that she, too, was perceptive and quick to act. “Where is he? Your brother? What happened to you?” Her voice was urgent, and I observed that she asked all the right questions: the location of who needed the most medical attention, a clarification, and a request for the details of what had occurred in the incident.
“Come with me!” the man begged. “We were on a hiking trip and then… then…” He swallowed thickly. “My brother is in need of emergency care; he fell off a ledge. You need to help him, please!”